Chapter 18: The Female Goblin

[Talia Level 12 Goblin]

The moment she stepped forward, my attention shifted to her without me even realizing it.

She was tall.

Taller than me, in fact, but the height suited her.

It gave her a commanding presence that made everyone else seem just a little smaller.

Unlike Gunthar and the other goblins, who looked like they solved every problem by hitting it until it stopped moving, she had a lean, athletic build.

Every muscle was defined without being excessive, giving her the kind of body that looked fast, balanced, and incredibly capable.

I had to admit... she was beautiful.

Not in the way humans would describe beauty, but in a way that fit this world perfectly.

Her deep green skin was smooth and healthy, complementing the sharp contours of her face instead of hiding them.

High cheekbones, a straight nose, and full lips gave her features an unexpected elegance, while a pair of piercing amber eyes held a quiet intensity that made it difficult to look away.

Long, dark hair spilled over her shoulders, swaying gently with each step she took.

The more I looked at her, the more obvious the difference became.

She wasn’t just another goblin.

Her amber eyes drifted from Gunthar to me, studying us both with a calm, unreadable expression before finally settling on him.

Then she spoke.

Her voice wasn’t loud. It didn’t need to be. It was smooth yet firm, carrying the kind of quiet authority that made people listen without thinking twice.

"Gunthar, this is not how we handle our own."

The disapproval in her tone was clear.

Gunthar was still heaving from our fight, his broad chest rising and falling like a bellows.

The fact that he was still alive told me he had the passive skill [Regeneration] as well, assuming the poison from [Venomous Bite] hadn’t already run its course.

He let out a guttural growl, his voice filled with fury as he pointed at me.

"He is tainted, Talia! He ate human flesh!"

The moment those words left his mouth, I noticed the other goblins react.

Shoulders stiffened, uneasy glances were exchanged, and several instinctively shifted their footing as if the accusation alone had changed how they saw me.

But I didn’t care about their reaction; I simply focused on the female goblin in front of me.

From the way Gunthar addressed her, it was obvious she wasn’t just another goblin.

She carried authority, the kind that made the others instinctively wait for her judgment, placing her somewhere near the top of the tribe’s hierarchy.

She didn’t flinch or waver at the revelation. Instead, she calmly folded her arms, her gaze fixed on Gunther as though she were staring down a wild animal.

"And?" she asked, her voice cool and utterly unimpressed.

"He seems like a lost juvenile with no knowledge of our laws."

"We don’t know that for sure," Gunther argued.

"So are you suggesting we tear each other apart based on an assumption that may or may not be true?" Talia said sharply. Her tone firm enough to cut through the growing hostility.

Gunther’s expression darkened, his teeth baring as barely restrained fury rippled across his face, yet after a long, tense moment, he forced himself to remain still.

Talia turned to me, her piercing amber eyes locking onto mine with an unreadable gaze that felt as though she were measuring every part of me. Then asked:

"What is your name?"

I hesitated. My name. The one thing I hadn’t lost.

For a brief moment, I considered lying, but the thought felt... pointless. So I didn’t bother.

Letting out a slow breath, I finally answered.

"...Sylas."

Talia nodded, as though quietly committing my name to memory before speaking in the same calm, steady voice.

"I am Talia of the Mossfang Clan."

The way she said it carried a quiet confidence, as if her name alone held enough weight to command respect. Then she tilted her head ever so slightly, her eyes narrowing with curiosity.

"Usually, when one introduces themselves, they attach their clan name to it. Why didn’t you?"

Before I could answer, Gunthar let out a derisive snort.

"Because he’s an untamed beast," he spat.

Talia didn’t so much as acknowledge him.

She ignored the interruption completely, her sharp gaze remaining fixed on me as if he hadn’t spoken at all.

After a brief pause, she asked, "Where are you from?"

I tensed.

Well, I had come from Earth, died, and somehow ended up here after being brought over by two divine beings. There was no way I could tell them that, so I settled for something that was at least partially true.

Rubbing the back of my neck as though I was struggling to remember, I let out a small sigh before answering.

"I don’t remember," I said slowly. "All I remember is fighting an ogre."

There. It wasn’t a lie.

Talia didn’t respond immediately. Her amber eyes remained fixed on mine, searching my face as though trying to decide whether I was hiding something.

"An ogre?" she repeated, tasting the word for a moment before taking a single step toward me. "And where is this ogre now?" she asked, her voice laced with caution.

I opened my mouth to answer, but Gunther beat me to it.

"Over there. It’s dead." He pointed into the distance before adding, "I saw him eat its brain."

A suffocating silence followed.

The entire atmosphere became heavier, as though someone had uttered the greatest taboo imaginable.

Every pair of eyes snapped toward me, and the goblins visibly recoiled, their expressions twisting into a mixture of disgust, shock, and barely concealed horror.

One of them even took an involuntary step back.

I couldn’t help but smirk.

The way they were looking at me, you’d think I’d committed some unforgivable crime.

Gunthar’s face twisted in pure disgust the moment he saw my reaction. Then, as if my very existence offended him, he spat onto the ground.

"You see?" he snarled, jabbing a thick finger at me like I was some diseased animal. "He’s not denying it. Clearly he is one of us! He’s wild! Compromised!"

A few of the other goblins immediately nodded, their murmurs swelling into uneasy whispers as the weight of their judgment settled over me. Fear. Revulsion. Suspicion. I could feel all of it in the way they stared, as though I had suddenly become something dangerous.

But much to my surprise, Talia...